nothin Star Principal Promoted | New Haven Independent

Star Principal Promoted

Melissa Bailey Photo

Johnsky and her replacement, Margaret-Mary Gethings.

After four successful years running Fair Haven School, Principal Kim Johnsky is leaving for a top administrative post.

The news came at Monday’s meeting of the Board of Education at 54 Meadow St.

The board first held a moment of silence for 13-year-old Marquell Banks, a 7th-grader at the school who was fatally shot in the head on Sunday. The Yale Child Study Center will be helping children who are grieving at that school.

Later in the meeting, the board approved a promotion for the same school’s hard-working principal.

Beginning Tuesday, Johnsky is taking over as the citywide K‑12 director of instruction, a job left vacant when Charles Williams retired on June 30.

In recommending her for the job, schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo called Johnsky one of our shining stars.” Her new job entails coaching and evaluating principals, as well as supporting schools with improvement plans. Mayo said she will serve as a great mentor” to principals citywide.

Her new job carries a salary of $136,172. The promotion adds no new money to the budget, because she is filling a vacant, budgeted job, Mayo said.

Johnsky started her New Haven career in 1988 as a teacher at the former Helene Grant School. She was promoted to assistant principal of Worthington Hooker School in 1999, took over as Nathan Hale School principal in 2003, then took charge of Fair Haven School in 2007, according to a district press release.

In her four full years at Fair Haven, Johnsky is credited with creating wonders at the school.

Under Johnsky’s leadership, parents flocked to the school for report card night, which doubled as a winter coat giveaway. Eighth-graders engaged in eloquent debates that brought home the significance of national events to their lives. And students showed unprecedented gains in reading on standardized tests.

Fair Haven School showed some of the largest gains in the district on Connecticut Mastery Tests in recent years, according to the district’s release. For example: 3rd-grade reading scores jumped from 8.5 percent at goal” in 2008 to to 62.7 percent in 2011. During the same time period, 3rd-grade math scores shot up from 13.0 percent at goal” to 67.8 percent.

Her school also earned high marks on the school climate survey, which measures feedback from teachers, students, parents and staff.

Johnsky will be replaced by her former assistant principal, Margaret-Mary Gethings, who has worked closely with Johnsky for years. Gethings worked under Johnsky at Nathan Hale School. When Johnsky transferred to Fair Haven, she took Gethings with her.

Asked about her plans for the school, Gethings said she foresees no changes.”

We’re just going to keep going in the same direction,” Gethings said. Why change something that’s working so well?”

Gethings said while Team Fair Haven has lost its captain, we’re still a winning team.”

Sign up for our morning newsletter

Don't want to miss a single Independent article? Sign up for our daily email newsletter! Click here for more info.


Post a Comment

Commenting has closed for this entry

Comments

Avatar for bripaul2002@yahoo.com

Avatar for One City Dump

Avatar for ruth.hein@snet.net

Avatar for khagearty@yahoo.com

Avatar for Vanessa Fasanella

Avatar for reanny@yahoo.com

Avatar for JonDoeInNH

Avatar for wvilleconcernedres

Avatar for JonDoeInNH

Avatar for Blue

Avatar for sdono9@yahoo.com

Avatar for ghlb@sbcglobal.net

Avatar for CT Taxpayer

Avatar for Dominick Maldonado

Avatar for kdonohue34@aol.com

Avatar for Truth Avenger

Avatar for HBCU5